Life in the Ketchup Bottle: Here's to Emma, Helper of the Day...

(That's a song my brother's kindergarten class used to sing, and it's become part of our family's customary repertoire.)

We've been working hard now that Emma's 3 to have FHE EVERY week, especially since Jeff is out of work and we have a little more time together. Today Emma gave her first lesson. (She volunteered.) She came up with the topic herself. "We think about Jesus in Sacrament Meeting." After our opening prayer and calendar time, we talked about how we need to behave in Sacrament Meeting and why, that we think about Jesus when we take the bread and water, that we don't have toys or food in Sacrament Meeting because it's a special time, and that Jesus loves us and we like to listen to the talks and learn about Jesus and Heavenly Father. She led the discussion. It was totally awesome. Then we sang some hymns, and had a closing prayer and ice cream. I am amazed at how that little child can process adult concepts and at her pure love and solid testimony. She's a great kiddo, and we're very proud of her and love her very much.

More Ketchupy advice on how to keep your child safe in the car

Make sure the seat you are using is the safest possible for your child's weight, height, and age, and used in the safest configuration possible.
Make sure the seat you are using is not expired. (Yes, they expire! They can weaken over time. Don't use an expired seat-- or for that matter, an outdated one, such as a car seat with an overhead shield, which are not generally considered safe.)
Never use a seat that has been in a crash (don't use it if you're not sure if it has been in a crash, either.)
ALWAYS read your car seat manual AND your car's manual to find out the best way to properly install your child's car seat!
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. One year and 22 lbs. is the MINIMUM, not the actual limit, or even the current recommendation. I am proud to say that all 3 of my girls are currently rear-facing, the oldest 2 in higher-weight rear-facing seats! Having bent legs or legs hitting the back of the seat does NOT mean that the child is too big to rear-face, and is not dangerous. There are now seats that rear-face to 40 lbs. and beyond.
Once your child turns forward-facing, keep her in a harnessed seat as long as possible, including buying a higher weight limit seat if you need to (and if possible.) 4 years and 40 lbs. is the MINIMUM, there are seats that go up to 65 and even 80 lbs. as a harnessed seat.
Make sure your seat fits your child and that you're buckling him in correctly. Check weight limits carefully. When rear-facing, straps should be just at or below your child's shoulders, and there should be no less than 1 inch between her head and the top of the seat. When forward facing, straps should be at or above the shoulders, and the top of the ears should not be above the top of the car seat. In a harnessed seat, the chest buckle should be over the nipples, with the top approximately at the level of the armpits. The harness should always be tight enough that you can not pinch any slack in it if you try. In a high-back booster, the belt should be correctly positioned across the child's chest and shoulder, and the tips of the child's ears should not be above the top of the booster.
Don't put your child in the car in a heavy winter coat or snow suit, especially in a harnessed seat! Remove thick coats before getting in the car; use blankets and/or thin fleece coats that you don't have to re-adjust the harness for, or buckle your child in and then put the coat back on backwards, or use it for a blanket, so it doesn't interfere with correct tightening of the straps.
Always make sure your child's seat is securely installed before buckling him in. Use whatever devices are necessary to get a tight fit, including LATCH according to guidelines up to 40 lbs., and locking clips for older seatbelts. Always make sure seatbelts used to install a seat are locked, whether by a locking clip or device or by pulling the belt all the way out before letting it retract (in newer vehicles.)
Never use LATCH belts and a seatbelt at the same time to install a car seat. This can put too much strain on the seat. Use one or the other. This doesn't apply to the top tether-- you may use the top tether after you have switched to seatbelt installation (see above links.)
When you must move your child to a booster, choose a high-back booster for as long as possible. Most experts agree that 6 years old is the youngest most childrens' hips are developed enough to distribute a seatbelt correctly, even with a booster, and a high-back booster provides more protection for your child's head and neck as long as s/he fits in it.
Never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. If there is a lap belt only seat in your car, the ONLY child who should be seated there is one in a five-point harness car seat installed with the lap belt (or LATCH if your car is equipped with it.)
ALWAYS read your car seat manual AND your car's manual to find out the best way to properly install your child's car seat!
Make sure the seat you are using is not expired. (Yes, they expire! They can weaken over time. Don't use an expired seat-- or for that matter, an outdated one, such as a car seat with an overhead shield, which are not generally considered safe.)
Never use a seat that has been in a crash (don't use it if you're not sure if it has been in a crash, either.)

6 comments:

Lana said...: what a fun first!; 5:20 AM
Awesome Mom said...: How fun! Evan is not quite there yet so often we watch short church videos and explain them. He got pretty excited when we told him that Thomas S. Monson was talking until he realized that this Thomas was not a train.; 12:18 PM
Jennifer Swanepoel said...: From the mouths of babes. :)

For those of us who are not LDS, what's FHE?; 5:52 AM
Anne/kq said...: Oh! Family Home Evening. :); 6:01 AM
Mean Mommy said...: Very sweet. I should probably get around to letting my kids give a lesson...; 9:42 AM
Suzanne said...: How sweet! I'm amazed how much kids pick up on when they're little. They're like little sponges. Great job writing down this memory so you can enjoy it years from now! :); 2:04 PM

Monday, April 30, 2007

Here's to Emma, Helper of the Day...

6 comments:

Life in the Ketchup Bottle

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Ketchup probably won't save your child's life-- but proper car seat usage might.

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